Line-protective device.



J. ERIGKSON. Y LINE PROTECTIVE DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1911.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912. I

UNITED. s rns PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ERICKSON, OF CHICAGO. ILLINOIS. ASlSIGNOR TO AUTOMATIC ELE 'FRIC COM PANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Specification o! Letters Patent.

A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LINE-PROTECTIVE DEVICE.

Patented Aug. 2-7, 1912.

Application meauovember 22. 1911. Serial No. server To a]? whom, it may concern lie itltno\vn that I. Jonx Emcnson. a citizen of the l'mted States. of' America, and resident oftlhicago; Cook county, Ill]- nois, have invented a certain new and useful lnnwoven ent in Line-Protective Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention-relates to line protective .de-

vices, and more particularly to that class of protective devices wh ch employ heat COIlS tor operating the same.

Amongthe objects of my invention are to devise a protective device in which a more rigid support for the terminals is provided than heretofore in devices of'this type.

A further object of my invention. is .to

coil without moving this coil after it'has been placed in position. i

These andother obJectsof my invention will he more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing. in which- Figure 1 1s a plan. view of a pair .of the protective devices-mounted upon opposite sides'of-a ground plate. Fig. 2- is a side elevation of'a portion of the mounting plate showing twoof the protective devices in place. on the same side of the plate. Fig. 3

1s a sectional view of the heat coil.

.The mounting plate or ground plate is composed of two plates Q'and 3. riveted to-I gather. Mounted upon each side .of the ground plate there are a plurality of groups of flexible contact springs 4,5. 6, 7 and 8 and non-flexible heat coil supports 9.' The springs are secured to the mounting'plate by means ot' screws 10 and 11, and are suitably insulated from said plate and tromeach other by means of insulatingwashers. The "two sets of springs mounted opposite each nected with the 3:11p

wi -sass a other preferably. belongto the respective 5 sides of' the. same line circuit. Ordinary .carhon lightningart-esters 23 are clamped lietween the springs and the supporting" plate.- The springs 6 are the line springs.

and are electrically connected with the springs 5. The springs ,7' are electrically 'c'aonnected' with {the heat coil supports.

The springs 8 are theswitchl'ioard sin-tugs and:whenthehentimsls are in place are conorts 9- through the The. springs 67-6 and8-8 are provided'with the terminals 12, 13, 14- and 15. The terminals 13 and H arecrossed over to opposite sides of the n'iountlng plate so as to br ng the two terminals 12 and 13 of the line springs 6 on one side, andthe two switchboard terminals it and 15 on the otherside. vent movementof the terminals 13 and 14.

the insulating washers 16 and 17 are each provided with a downwardly projecting portion provided with ail-opening which titssnugly over its respective terminal. The washers being held rigid by the screws 10 In order to preand 11 hold the terminals 13 and 14 seeurely in place Referring especially to Fig. '3, the heat coil shown therein comprises a pin in upon ivl iclrtltere is mounted a coil of resistance wire 19. Clamped between the nut 'ltl'and the end of the coil 19, but entirely insulated from the pin 1h. there is a grooved collar :21. ()ne end of the pin 18 is split aml a'small catch or pawl 22 is. rotatably mounted between the two parts thereof by means of a small pin .28. The catch 2:? is. normally rigidly held in its upright position. as shown in Fig. It. by means of soft solder or other fusible material, by means of which itis soldered to the pin 18; The heat coil is mounted in the protect'oi" by slipping thc grooved collar 21 down into a slot in the end of the support t The spring 8 then bears against the end of the pin '18. One terminal of the winding 19 of the heat coil is connected with the collar 21 and 'the other tcrniiiml is connected to the pin l8 so that. when the coilis in place there is a complete electrical connection from the support J through the collar 21. winding 19 and the pin 18 to.the switchlaau'd spring 6. Slidiubly mounted upon the end of the spring t'.

but insulated.thcrctrom. is a strip 2-1.

In order to set the device the heat coil is put in place. the strip 24 is raised and the spring 6 forcedoutward until the strip 24 may be pushed down behind the catch 3'. on the heat coil and thus hold the spring (3 in the'position shown' in the ltftrllillltl portion of Fig. 1. In this position the spring (3 con tacts with the spring T. whcrcbv a conntc tion is completed between the line spring (3 and theswitchboard spring b through the winding of the heat coil. Thus; any current flowing to the switchlamrd t'rom theline mustpass through thewinding of the heat coil. lVhen an abnormal current flows over this circuit for an undue length of time, the heat coil heats up and softens the fusible material which holds the catch 22 and permits said catch to rotate to a horizontal position, thereby releasing the spring 6 and allowing it to move in ard by its own tension and break contact wit-h thespring 7, thereby disconnecting the line from the switchboard. \Vhen the spring 6 flies inward a projection 6 thereon which passes through an opening in the spring 5 presses the spring 4 down onto the ground plate, thereby grounding both the line spring 6 and the spring 4. The spring 4 may be connected to the usual alarm circuit to give a signal when a heat coil operates.

After a heat coil has operated, it may be restored to normal condition again by being heated, preferably by nassing current through its own winding until the fusible material is softened. Then the catch 22 may be restored to its upright position and the fusible material again allowed to cool.

In order to guide the heat coil in the slot in the support 9 so that the catch 22 will stand upright, the collar 21 is provided with the lugs 27, one on each side of the vertical center line, which serve to guide the heat coil into position and prevent it from turning after it is in place.

1 While-I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention, it -will be understood that -I do not wish to limit myself to such specific construction.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a line protective device, a mounting plate, a terminal membermounted on one side of said plate, said terminal member being crossed over to the opposite side of said plate, and an insulating washer supported upon said mounting plate and threaded over the end of said term nal to stiffen the same.

2. In a line protective device, a mountin plate, terminal members mounted on sai plate, some of said terminal members bein crossed over to the opposite side of sal plate through space to arrange like tenninals together, and insulating washers mounted upon said terminal plate and threaded over said crossed over terminals to stiffen the same.

3. In a line protective device, a ground plate, spring members suitably mounted thereon, a heat coil normally engaged by one of said spring members, a catch mounted upon said heat coil, and a slidable member carried by one of said spring members and engaging with said catch, whereby said heat coil controls said spring members.

4. In a line protective device, a mounting plate, suitable spring members mounted upon said plate, a heat coil carried by said mounting plate, one of said sprin members normally engaging said heat coil, a catch mounted upon said heat coil, and a slidable member carried by one of said spring members and adapted to engage with said catch, whereby said spring member may be locked in engagement with said heat coil without moving the coil after it has been placed in position. 5. In a line protective device, a heat coil provided with a suitable catch, a spring member, a sliding strip carried upon the end of said spring member, said sliding strip adapted to engage with said catch for looking said spring member in engagement with said heat coil, and means for sliding said spring member up and down, whereby the spring member may be latched in engagement with the heat coil without moving the coil after it has been placed in position.

6. In a line protective device, amountin plate, a plurality of spring members carri thereby, a rigid member likewise carried by said mounting plate, a heat coil mounted on said rigid member and normally engagin one of said spring members, a catch mounted upon said heat coil, and a slidable member carried by another of said spring members and adapted to engage said catch, whereby said spring member is locked in engagement with said heat coil.

Signed by me at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, this 17th day of November, 1911.

JOHN ERICKSON.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR J. RAY, E. D. FALES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cent: each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, ID. C." 

